The very first time I listened to a podcast was five years ago. I was browsing through iTunes, looking up wrestling terms, and CM Punk popped up in the search results. But attached to CM Punk’s name was The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana. Curious, I clicked on it and saw a picture of Colt Cabana in a Ring of Honor black tee in front of a library background. [click here] So I clicked play expecting the traditional 30 second clip as it was customary with every song on iTunes. But much to my surprise, it continued well past the 30 second mark and went on for about an hour of audio. After listening to Punk, and remember, this was way before the infamous pipe-bomb, I wanted more. So I went back to the first episode (Punk’s was episode 2) and I listened to SonjayDutt. And before I knew it, I was subscribed and have listened to every episode since.

That was my first introduction into the now over-saturated world of pro wrestling podcasts. Colt’s was the first of its kind and still hold it with high regard. Listening to Punk before he became a megastar; to Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro), Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno), Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards while they still wrestled for Ring of Honor; to Samoa Joe while he was wrestling for TNA; to Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) before being signed to WWE; to Sara Del Rey before she became the trainer for the women wrestlers over at the WWE Performance Center; and to Kevin Steen, listening to his insecurities about the wrestling business long before signing with WWE as Kevin Owens.

Colt Cabana always states at the intro that the Art of Wrestling Podcast is a life podcast, a personal journey into the hearts and souls of these wrestlers. Basically these stories have entertained me and made me feel a close bond with my favorite wrestlers. It has also helped me get to know new wrestlers that I wasn’t familiar with. Then I go back and think, where have I heard of this guy before? And after 5 years and counting, the answer is most likely from the Art of Wrestling Podcast.

One of my goals as a wrestling fan is to travel to Glasgow or Edinburg and attend a live Art of Wrestling Podcast among the Scotts. If you ever take the time to listen to the live shows, it sounds like so much fun and definitely an experience worth having.

But among my love of AOW, I have ventured out and accepted other podcasts. Some I’ve dropped, and others I continue to be faithful. ::Glass Shatters:: When I heard that Stone Cold Steve “Mutha F%@$” Austin was starting up his own can of audio whoopass known as The Steve Austin Show, how could you say no to the Rattlesnake? That’s not to say that there haven’t been some episodes that were chicken sh-t that he tried making into chicken salad, but sometimes it is what it is. I’ve loved his recent interviews with Razor Ramon, Diamond Dallas Page, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. I’ve also loved his series of episodes talking to Paul Heyman. And let’s not forget that his success on PodcastOne.com and his legendary status in WWE also launched the very first live video podcast on the WWE Network, with the first guest being none other than Vince McMahon. He’s gone on to have his WWE special with Triple H, Paul Heyman, Paige, Edge & Christian, and soon enough… Brock Lesnar.

I always get a kick out of those live Stone Cold Podcast episodes, but another wrestler turned podcaster who I thoroughly enjoy is Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho. What I love about TIJ is that Jericho is a natural entertainer and it translates beautifully on audio. Plus, he–like Colt–goes out of his way to have sit-down interviews with his guests. And it’s not just wrestling guests, it’s music guests, conspiracy and paranormal theorists, TV actors, movie directors, porn stars! (By the way, Stormy Daniels… awesome!) The list goes on and on with the diversity of the guests he has on his show. Talk is Jericho is not just another wrestling podcast, it’s an entertainment podcast diving into all walks of entertainment.

Those are my top three wrestling podcasts that I listen to religiously. But I do often lend an ear to The Ross Report with Jim Ross and WOOOOO! Nation with “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair for the sole reason that I respect the hell out of those two. I would listen to every episode, but I only have so many hours in a day. But give those guys a listen as well, great stuff.

And if by chance you don’t know how to listen to these great podcasts, subscribe and download them off iTunes if you have an iPhone, or if you are like me and have sided with the force known as Samsung Galaxy, the Podcast Addict app has been awesome with all episodes streaming seamlessly.

How about you? Which podcast do you love listening to? And it doesn’t have to be a podcast about wrestling. Just share your likes and dislikes in the comment section below!

Or if you just want to hit me up, you can do so on the twitter @WrestlingTimesX or follow my interests and journey to a healthier fit lifestyle on my instagram @losfriday!

Also, make sure to like this post and share it. The more people who like it and share it, the more likely I’ll continue to rant about wrestling!

The Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania is the most interesting night out of the year because you don’t know what to expect. First off, it’s the fallout from WrestleMania, which sets the pace for what’s to come in the following year; the returning and debuting Superstars; and then there’s the RAW After Mania crowd who are the most unpredictable of all, but more on that later.

At the start of every episode of NXT (Wednesdays on the WWE Network) the graphic reads “The Future Starts Now”, but as seen on RAW After Mania, the future has arrived. Think about it, Seth Rollins is the new WWE World Heavyweight champion. But before even debuting as part of The Shield, Seth Rollins jump started NXT as the first ever NXT Champion. Now look at him, an “indie” guy who used the NXT system to get to the mountain top.

Seth’s WWE championship victory is a major carbon “curb stomp” and a prime example of what NXT can offer. Another former NXT champion who is looking to blaze his own trail on the main roster is Neville. Debuting against the “Axe-man” Curtis Axel, Neville had a successful first night: He defeated Axel; he went over big with the raucous crowd; he was the number one trend of twitter; and he did not come out looking like Mighty Mouse.

Yes, strangely enough, the big rumor was Vince McMahon wanted Neville to dress like Mighty Mouse, which, of course, is why “Vince is out of touch” memes exist, among other reasons. But honestly, if Neville were to dress up like any fictional character, it would have to be a high-ranking elf like Legolas or Link, not a mouse.

But even so, you can’t have “The Man That Gravity Forgot” dressing up like a cartoon rodent. The hooded cape Neville debuted in was pretty stellar, a cross between vigilante and druid. Yet, although I don’t have a problem with the cape, he needs to lose it before executing any of his mesmerizing maneuvers because it covers it up.

Yet, what’s even more bizarre than a WWE Mighty Mouse, is that some fans were actually upset, pist off even, that WWE dropped Neville’s first name. Similar to Cesaro and Big E, WWE just doesn’t like long names (are they paying by the letter?). But look at it this way, shorter names are easier to chant. You can’t have a chant, “Let’s go, Adrian Neville!” It just doesn’t work. But “Let’s go, Neville” does.

Another fantastic debut was Kalisto, finally joining his Lucha Dragons’ partner Sin Cara on the main roster. As the Lucha Dragons, Kalisto’s brand of lucha libre offense had the WWE Universe enamored and ferociously chanting NXT! Kalisto even got the pinfall victory with the Salida del Sol finisher. On a crazy side note: how awesome would a match between Kalisto and Rey Mysterio (in his prime) would have been in the WWE?

Last year, Paige debuted on the RAW After Mania and captured the WWE Divas championship. Although there were no debuts from the NXT Women’s division (one day, Charlotte…), AJ Lee did sport a Bayley’s “I’m a Hugger” t-shirt (available on WWEShop.com) live on RAW. So, Bayley may not have been called up to the main roster, but her merch sure did!

Now let’s talk about the unpredictability of the crowd. Aside from pissing off a number of the WWE Superstars, including Seth Rollins who gave a nice “Suck It” cross chop to the crowd, they were very vocal on who they wanted to see: more NXT talent. They started hijacking the main event with NXT chants for superstars like Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, and even Enzo and Cassady. It’s amazing how much the WWE Universe supports NXT and are clamoring for more of what these Future Superstars have to offer.

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

WrestlingTimesX is not a misogynistic blog. WTX gives Divas a chance no matter how bad they may be on the mic or in the ring (that’s right, Bellas). WTX supports the exposure of talented women like a Paige or an AJ Lee (not like that… #NakedPaige)

When the #LikeAGirl spot aired during the Super Bowl, WWE followed with their own #LikeAGirl spot featuring WWE Divas from the main roster and NXT to demonstrate that their Divas are role models because they are strong and beautiful. But after a brutally short Divas Tag Team match on Monday Night RAW, the #GiveDivasAChance movement was born because, clearly, WWE needs a reminder that the Divas should not be overlooked.

Before making her return to WWE this past Monday, AJ Lee blindsided Stephanie McMahon on twitter stating that the Divas were grossly underpaid despite being on the highest rated segments and having record-selling merchandise. Stephanie McMahon was said to be livid–wouldn’t you be if your employee made you and your company look bad on social media? But her response–probably advised by office staff members and Vince McMahon himself–was curt, yet professional. Because it’s not like Stephanie could berate AJ Lee on twitter after just tweeting about Women’s Rights and Using Your Voice to be heard. She would’ve been a total hypocrite.

Much like her husband, AJ is not afraid to voice her opinions in a public forum such as an episode of Monday Night RAW or on the twitter. And despite the fact that she does not like the term “Diva”, AJ is very vocal on the importance of women’s wrestling.

Yet, in true WWE fashion, while Vince may “hear” the fans clamoring for more women’s wrestling, the movement has already been downplayed to where R-Truth, who will be one of the participants in the Intercontinental championship ladder match at WrestleMania, promoted his own hashtag at commentary #GiveTruthAChance. This of course trended on twitter for some time because: A) It was entertaining; and B) Wrestling fans what to see more talents being utilized.

With WrestleMania so close and the predominate Divas storyline focused on Paige’s title hunt against Nikki Bella with Brie Bella, and now a returning AJ Lee, will WrestleMania have a Fatal Four-Way bout for the WWE Divas championship; or will it subject us to a multi-free-for-all Divas Battle Royal as in previous years?

But in the mean time and in between time, while we wait for the WWE to give Divas a chance on the main roster, check out NXT on the WWE Network and watch the women’s matches there. At NXT Takeover R-Evolution, Charlotte and Sasha Banks had a fantastic match for the NXT Women’s championship. Then at NXT Takeover RIVAL, we witnessed a great Fatal Four-Way and the crowning of a new champion. The women on NXT outshine even some of the guys from the main roster because they don’t play cute and dumb. When that bell rings, those women show the world that #LikeAGirl they can be strong and beautiful.

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

FLASH NEWS ALERT! Brock Lesnar walked out on Monday Night RAW after heated discussion with Vince McMahon. Brock Lesnar seen at UFC 184 on Saturday night sitting behind UFC president Dana White. Brock Lesnar returning to fight in the octagon. And so the speculations run wild…

Having conquered The Beast Incarnate’s autobiography Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival in a matter of a few days, The Tastic One knows a thing a two about what makes the former NCAA Division I champ tick!

The answer is money.

It was reported that Lesnar and McMahon had a heated discussion. One that even concerned the safety of the chairman of the WWE; but just because Brock Lesnar has the ability to break someone’s jaw, doesn’t mean that he would, especially when there is money to be made.

In Death Clutch, Brock and Vince had heated discussions all the time in regards to negotiating contracts, and–towards the end of his first run–trying to end it. But fast forward to now, everyone, including FoxSports knows that Brock Lesnar is set to be done with the WWE the Monday after WrestleMania.

Ever the business man, Brock Lesnar sets his price for what he feels he’s worth, and sticks to it. He doesn’t fall for the notorious “Vince Jedi Mind Tricks” and has never been deceived by the “you would be letting the company down” ploy. Brock Lesnar has his wife Rena (former WWE Diva Sable), and his children to consider. Those are his family, not the WWE, and the true reason why he laces up his boots.

Both men can be stubborn in their own right: Vince will make an offer and won’t budge; and Lesnar, if he doesn’t like what he sees, will not sign. And if that remains to be the case, the WWE will be short one Beast after WrestleMania.

Death Clutch concluded with Brock losing the UFC Heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez–who suffered a torn rotator cuff. And his last UFC fight was a loss to Alistair Overeem. Will Brock Lesnar at 37 make a return to the octagon?

Due to bouts of diverticulitis, Brock Lesnar never had a healthy run in the UFC, although he did come back from his first dance with death and successfully defended the championship, which truly tells you what kind of man he really is, but after 3 years removed, does he still have what it takes?

Dana White is definitely opened to the possibility of seeing one of his biggest pay-per-view draws in the company’s history return to the octagon. But knowing Lesnar, he wouldn’t come back if he wasn’t assured that one day he would be competing for the title. It’s who he is. He’s a fighter and to be the best, you have to be number one. The top fighter gets paid the most, and that means a better life for his family.

So as the story goes, fighters got to fight. And if Lesnar does return to the octagon, he already has a challenge in the former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who has already made it public that he wants to fight Lesnar. These two have a storied rivalry, having each traded victories. A rubber match would definitely put asses to seats at a future UFC pay-per-view. Plus, Brock Lesnar finds pleasure in punching the lights out of Frank Mir, a man he honestly doesn’t respect.

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

Brock Lesnar shocked the world when he defeated The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. And again months later at SummerSlam when Brock Lesnar humbled the seemingly unstoppable John Cena to become the undisputed WWE World Heavyweight champion. But after his first successful title defense the following month, WWE was without a World champion. The Brock Lesnar Experiment was flawed.

Vince McMahon stated on the Stone Cold Podcast that Brock Lesnar was an attraction, and that his appearances would make WWE must-see because the fans didn’t get to see him on a regular basis. In actuality, WWE is tied down to a binding contract with limited appearances. Ahh… The chink in the armor of the Brock Lesnar Experiment.

WWE Championship guidelines stated that the champion must defend the title at least once a month. A concept that was briefly touched upon throughout the years, especially if a champion was injured and needed to be relinquished of the title, as per Daniel Bryan’s case. But it was never really heavily enforced because most championships, especially the WWE championship was defended regularly at every WWE PPV. But the Brock Lesnar Experiment forced WWE to throw out their own guidelines in favor of a former Undisputed UFC World Heavyweight champion branded as their champion.

As flawed as the experiment was, Lesnar proved to the naysayers why he was worth every penny at the Royal Rumble event. Not to take anything away from Brock Lesnar, he is–without a shadow of a doubt–a legitimate heavyweight fighter with the agility of a middle-weight; but his limited contract has killed the momentum leading into WrestleMania.

Throughout the three-month dark period without a WWE champion, we lost out on dream match opportunities. An over-Randy Orton, thanks to the RKO Outta Nowhere viral videos, could have laid claim towards the legitimacy of being the true undisputed WWE World Heavyweight champion. Even Chris Jericho (WWE/WCW undisputed World champion) could have added some steam to the dominance of Brock Lesnar by enacting revenge for being F-5 on Monday Night RAW during his guest hosting duties.

While WWE’s year-long program to build Brock Lesnar as this dominant World champion may have failed, the short program between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania can still be salvaged. And of course, the damage control will rest in the hands of Brock Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman, who single-handedly sold the main event–which was finalized at WWE Fastlane–the night after the Royal Rumble with a solid 5-10 minute promo. Heyman touched upon Roman Reigns’ heritage and the mountain of respect he personally has for his family, but when it comes to legacy’s and respect, Brock Lesnar doesn’t care because he’s a fighter and is there to win fights.

Now the Brock Lesnar Experiment has an end game: Roman Reigns needs to defeat and earn respect from the Beast Incarnate.

Don’t forget to like the post, share it, and subscribe! Links are available on the right hand column.

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.

WrestlingTimesX proudly presents WTX Video Podcast, a wrestling video podcast that brings to you the best in podcasting, entertainment, controversy, critiquing and anything else.

We talk about NXT Takeover RIVAL, the NXT Roster, and the current era coined by Triple H as The Reality Era. Among the NXT roster, we speak about Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, and Adrian Neville. We talk about differences as a pro wrestling fan then and now, and even how the business had to change with the times.

No.. this is not about the Olympic Gold medalist Kurt Angle, seemingly no WWE Superstar is safe from getting their social media accounts hacked. It started a week ago during Monday Night RAW when Seth Rollins had his instagram, twitter, and facebook pages hacked with leaked nude photos. And just today, Cesaro’s twitter account was hacked with a timeline full of tweets expressing frustration with the WWE.

When first coming across the nude photo of NXT developmental Diva Zahra Schreiber, I had no idea who she was or why she was associated with “The Architect” Seth Rollins. Then the news feeds from rabid fans started flooding my timeline about how she’s intimate with Rollins, even though he has a fiancé. Some news feeds reported that it was actually Rollins’ fiancé who hacked his accounts with the leaked photo and a nude photo of Seth Rollins.

Similar to Bret Hart’s vices–as chronicled in Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling–Seth Rollins’ sin is that he loves women too much. And the life of a pro wrestler, traveling to so many towns, and spending nights alone awakens the primal urge that not everyone is openly proud of. So cheating happens more often than you would expect from our beloved wrestlers. Then again, they are just human.

Take a moment to ponder if WWE and Triple H didn’t pardon this incident? Seth Rollins is on the greatest run of his career as WWE’s storylined top heel. He has the MITB contract and he had a phenomenal outing with both John Cena and WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Imagine having all of that stripped away from you?

While it was “obvious” that Rollins’ accounts were hacked–and obviously WWE needs him right now as he is an integral part of WrestleMania–what consequences befalls the “Swiss Superman”?

Even though Cesaro had a WrestleMania moment by winning the inaugural Andre the Giant Battle Royal, he’s been down a spiral decent ever since WWE office decided to strip away everything that made him appealing in WWE. This included a random flip-flopping of managers/advocates, a sudden heel turn, irritating entrance music, and virtually little-to-no TV time.

Cesaro’s hacker voiced his frustration with the WWE and Vince McMahon with tweets: I’ve pretty much had it with WWE; Even the rosebuds get more TV time than me; I lack charisma? Yeah right I’m the Swiss superman everybody cheered for me at WM; You know what? I’m sick of Vince McMahon and his bullshit. I don’t even get a chance to get the tag titles with Kidd now; I hope that old man gets cancer, I would of been on the best for sure in the WWE. But the old washed up has been has no idea.

That last one felt reminiscent of CM Punk’s infamous pipe bomb.

Much of what the hacker said, I’m sure many of us have felt or expressed in regards to Cesaro’s push; but taking over someone’s account and speaking on their behalf is towing over the line. Regardless of how we may feel, there is no grounds to jeopardizing someone’s job. Because what if the office at Stamford, CT, didn’t decide to rule this as an “obvious” hack job and deemed Cesaro insubordinate and no longer viable to work for the WWE?

Actions may speak louder than words, but take a half a second to consider the consequences of those actions.

All seriousness aside, how funny would it be if Solomon Crowe (Sami Callihan) turned out to be The Hacker? Talk about living the gimmick, brother!

About the blogger: I love pro wrestling and all of its layers of athleticism and entertainment. I also love to read and write, which is why, hopefully, WrestlingTimesX will come across as different, in a better way, than anything else that you read on the web. My mantra on wrestling, in any state, is to love it then, now, and forever.